Reviews

Never After: The Stolen Slippers by Melissa de la Cruz

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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition

3.0

This book has been on the shelves for some time already and I'm not entirely sure why I hadn't read it yet. I guess the answer is that I simply wasn't in the mood. It happens. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, especially because it embodied the dream of every reader: discovering that you're a part of the world of your favorite book series and meeting all your favorite characters for real. I was therefore excited to read this sequel.

I have to admit that this sequel lacked that extra spark the first book had and it's hard to pinpoint why exactly. I think it's because the real world feels very far away and it's easy to forget that our heroine has grown up in our world. I guess it's also because the original books don't play a big role anymore. It's still mentioned here and there, but it feels different. Apart from that the story seemed a little chaotic too.

I guess the chaos is partly because this is a middle grade. The characters need to have adventures and to have those adventures they have to visit places. In this book we get kidnapped by an evil witch living in a gingerbread house, we travel to Wonderland, to Vineland and to the castle of the Beast. You can be absolutely sure that your kid is never gonna be bored and will want to know what's happening next, but I personally would have loved a little more direction.

Especially because the twist on the story of Cinderella was actually very well done! I loved how this tale changed everything we know about Cinderella and how it's even explained why we don't know the true story. I also loved that in the end a lot of the individual adventures and storylines came together or shared a connection. And yet it didn't leave me with the same excitment as the first book. I do hope the third book will be more my thing again! We're gonna wait and see.

booklover1994's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

kitkenyon's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This second installment of the Never After series was just as much fun as the first! I love that these stories are lighthearted and full of action. They keep me entertained and aren’t too heavy (some dark stuff happens here and there that shocks me, but the author tends to creatively reconcile those moments later). The way all the stories and characters from classic fairy tales are twisted and intertwined is just so much fun to me! I’ll definitely continue this series as I’m loving seeing these characters grow so far. I can’t wait to see how their dynamics develop and how their fates unfurl!

eadrianschmitz's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

adalton's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nbd99's review against another edition

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4.0

Actually a 3.5 stars.

Really enjoyed this read of the never after series. Not as predictable as the first but a little more enjoyable. Flomena Jefferson Cho goes to Never After with her friends Jack, Alaister and Gretel, to retrieve the glass slippers Gretel's dad the cobler made for his sister and which where the inheritance to Gretel's cousins Hori and Beatrice. In the process they stumble upon the witch's son and get distracted eating the candy house and almost being eaten but Jack saves them at the last moment. They later find out Hori was dating prince charming but since the slippers been gone there has been some distance between them. So the team try to infiltrate the queen of hearts castle, but end with Filomena being caught trying to help Beatrice steal the slippers for Hori. They are sent to the castle of the beast as punishment. But turns out the beast is enchanted and Beatrice and him fall in love. The servant Miss Pickett turns out to be the queen of Hearts and the beasts mother so in reality he is the prince of hearts. Once Olga is discovered impersonating the queen and Cinderella is revealed as her daughter an ogre, the team fight them and they flee and the two couples Charlie & Hori and Beast and Beatrice get married and leave for their honeymoon. A messenger arrives to tell them queen Olga found the last fairy and they need help battling them and there ends the book. Preparing for the next adventure.